Travelling on an aeroplane is fraught with frustration because of the often long time seated in very cramped conditions. Listening to movies is one way to while away the time. But if you can't hear...

Taking tours is a challenge if you can't hear and while my cochlear implants give me back near normal hearing, there are times when it just isn't enough.

These experiences would have all been horrendous for me had I not had my wonderful husband to make all the phone calls and to get it set up so I could plug in or interpret when I didn't hear properly.

While there are three different types of hearing loss; Conductive, Sensorineural and mixed, they can be caused by many different things.

It seems so simple. We have ears and we hear don't we! We never give much thought about the process and never have to think about hearing because it's something most of us have always taken for granted. But how do we actually hear?

It seems clear to me that the Disability program is aimed at the older generation, those who are less comfortable with mobile phones. In many instances, if you qualify, these devices are free and well worth the trouble of researching to find the best solution for you.

Only about 2% of people ever get to the stage of having a Profound Hearing loss and in the past, there wasn’t much they could do about it except live with it.

Luckily only about 15% of people who have a hearing loss have a loss which is either Profound or Severe. So if you have a profound loss you are in an elite group. This means you have trouble hearing sound unless it is greater than 65 decibels in volume.

A moderate hearing loss impacts on daily life. Environmental sounds and the cues these give you, often for your own safety, are missing. It is important to seek professional help, manage your loss and wear hearing aids.

In a few days we are heading off around the world for two months. This means we have to plan how to manage our health and hearing needs well in advance.